Golden Mountains of Altai The nature of Altai, territory located at the crossroads of Central Asia and Siberia, is a bright originality. In the world there are few places with such contrasting different landscapes in a relatively small area, in many ways unique flora and fauna of the region.
A true gem of Altai - Teletskoe lake. For clean water, majestic mountain setting and abundant wildlife it is called the Little Lake Baikal. In the basin of Lake Teletskoye preserved Altai cedar forests that provide food and shelter to numerous wildlife species.
Here, the most significant area in the mountains of Siberia, subalpine and alpine meadows. Unique flavor and vegetation of Southern Altai, where neighbors semi-deserts, steppes and tundra.
The diversity of landscapes and contributed to the preservation of the Altai endemic, often occupying a very small area ranges. It is home to about 60 species of mammals, 11 species of amphibians and reptiles, 20 species of fish. Among the rare species of mammals should be allocated leopard or snow leopard - is one of the most beautiful cats of the world fauna.
Unique geological history of the region, "recorded" in uneven rocks and captured in unusual forms of relief. Such, for example, the magnificent terraces of the Katun.
Grandiose Mount Belukha - highest peak of Siberia (4506 meters). Topped by glaciers and snowfields, it almost 1000 meters dominates the surrounding ridges. The river valleys of the Altai, in the first place and Katun Chulyshman, are narrow deep canyons.
Extremely picturesque valley Chulyshman decorated waterfalls flowing into her tributaries.
Diversity of nature has left its mark on the culture and religion of the indigenous population of the territory - Altai. Gorny Altai is called an open air museum.
(Morina Anastasia)
Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is a rift lake in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between the Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast. Lake Baikal is the largest (by volume) freshwater lake in the world. It contains more water than that of all the Great Lakes combined. More than that it is the deepest and cleanest lake in the world. The width of the lake ranges from 24 to 79 km. Bottom of Lake Baikal at 1167 meters below sea level. And the area of water surface Lake Baikal - 31,722 km². The mean temperature varies from a winter minimum of −19 °C to a summer maximum of 14 °C. It is a very beautiful place!
(Soloveva Lera)
Lake Onega
Lake Onega is situated in the north-west European part of Russia in the Republic of Karelia. It is a very huge fresh-water reservoir. It falls into the basin of the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Onega has a surface area of 9690 km² and a volume of 282 km³ . Its length is about 245 km and width about 91 km. Average depth is 30 m, and maximum depth is 127 m. It is the second largest lake in Europe. The lake is navigable, is part of the water highway. Fishery here is very developed. There are many kinds of fish like salmon, bream, perch etc. Lake Onega is a gorgeous and majestic tourist destination. Many tourist from different countries come here to have a calm holiday.
(Nikadonova Sophia)
The Curonian spit It’s a narrow stripe of land, which separates the Curonian lagoon from the Baltic sea coast and stretches from Kaliningrad to Lithuania. Beautiful sand dunes and wide beaches of the Curonian spit is one of the biggest attractions of this place. There is a national park «The Curonian spit» in Russia. More than 600 species of vegetation and 296 species of vertebrates form flora and fauna. The Curonian spit is also called «bird’s bridge» because it passes an ancient migration route for birds from Northern to Southern Europe and Africa. There is also the museum of the Curonian spit and the museum of Russian superstitions, which is dedicated to Russian folklore: the spirits of Slavs, characters of fairy tales and other. The Curonian spit is amazing place, which attracts a lot of people. It inspires painters for creating beautiful pictures!
(Mukhina Valeriya)
Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in the Caucasus, and the highest peak in Europe. It is located several miles north of the main crest of the Central Caucasus, in the Russian Republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, north of Georgia. Its origin is volcanic, and though it has long been extinct, it still retains its gently sloping, conical shape, with twin cones rising on its summit. The west summit at 5,642 meters (18,510 ft) is slightly higher than the east at 5,621 metres (18,442 ft). The summit is capped in ice year round, and 22 glaciers sprawl from its slopes. All told, the mountain and its vast glaciers cover 56 square miles. The summit provides spectacular views of the entire Caucasus.
It is the most beautiful and majestic mountain, observable from the distance more than 300 km!
(Kapitsyna Sonya)
The Valley of Geysers The Valley of Geysers is a geyser field on Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, and has the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. This 6 km long basin with approximately ninety geysers and many hot springs is situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, predominantly on the left bank of the ever-deepening Geysernaya River, into which geothermal waters flow from a relatively youngstratovolcano, Kikhpinych. Temperatures have been found to be 250 °C, 500 m below the caldera ground. It is part of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, which, in turn, is incorporated into the World Heritage Site "Volcanoes of Kamchatka". The valley is difficult to reach, with helicopters providing the only feasible means of transport. The "pulsating" geysers of Kamchatka were discovered by a local scientist, Tatyana Ustinova, in 1941.She published her findings fourteen years later, but there was little exploration of the area until 1972. A systematic survey was undertaken in the mid-1970s, and an automatic monitoring system was introduced in 1990. Over thirty geysers were given names; among these was the Giant geyser (Velikan), capable of producing a jet of water reaching up to 40 meters . From the 1980s, the area was promoted across the USSR as one of the tourist magnets of Kamchatka and the Russian Far East. Foreign tourists were allowed into the valley in 1991. About 3,000 tourists visited the site annually.
(Ovchinnikova Kate)
The Kungur Ice Cave The Kungur Ice Cave is located near Kungur city in Perm Krai on the right bank of the Sylva River. The cave is famous for its ice formations and is a popular tourist landmark. It’s a very abeautiful, amazing and unforgettable place. The Kungur Ice Cave is known since 1703 when Peter the Great issued the decree sending a well-known geographer S.U. Remezov from Tobolsk in Kungur. A lot of tourists most of them from Russia came to have a look at this unique creation of nature every year. The total number of tourists has already exceeded couple of millions. The appearance and the diversity of crystal forms of gypsum alluvium in the Cave are no less striking: bluish gray gypsum and anhydrite. (Rodionova Liza)
Lena Pillars Lena Pillars (Lenskiye Stolby) is the name given to a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia, the central part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The pillars are 150–300 metres (490–980 ft) high. The Lena Pillars National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012. They were produced by the region’s extreme continental climate with an annual temperature range of almost 100 degrees Celsius (from –60 °C in winter to +40 °C in summer). The pillars form rocky buttresses isolated from each other by deep and steep gullies developed by frost shattering directed along intervening joints. Penetration of water from the surface has facilitated cryogenic processes (freeze-thaw action), which have widened gullies between pillars leading to their isolation. Fluvial processes are also critical to the pillars. The site also contains a wealth of Cambrian fossil remains of numerous species, some of them unique. This place is really interesting for tourists from different countries and cities. It is so unusual and breathtaking landmark!
(Semyanischeva Victoria)
The Volga River The Volga river is widely known as a national symbol of Russia and is also called as the ‘Mother-river’. It is the largest river in Europe. It flows through central Russia and into the Caspian Sea, Eleven of the twenty largest cities of Russia, including the capital, Moscow, are in the Volga's watershed The ancient Slavs first mentioned the Volga in the Primary Chronicle—the oldest historical compilation that has survived to the present day. The Volga has played an important role in Russian culture, folklore and economy. Besides, Some of the largest useful reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga. The Volga is also referred to directly in literary works and symbolized huge open spaces of the country, the freedom and will and its people. The river is a popular tourist destination, especially in summer months. A lot of people dream about visiting the Volgar to see some of beautiful Russian historical places, located on the banks of the river.
(Semchat Yulia)
Virgin Komi Forests Virgin Komi Forests are the natural UNESKO World Heritage site in the Nothern Ural mountains of the Komi Republic, Russia. They have the square about 32,800 km² - the largest virgin forests in Europe. The Virgin Komi Forests beling to the Ural Mountain taiga ecoregion. Dominant tree species include Siberian Spruce, Siberian Fur and Siberian Larch, while the most prominent mammals are the reindeer, the sable, the mink and the hare. World Heritage site of Komi Forests was appropriated in 1995, making them the first natural wirld Heritage site in the country. This status brought to the site additional funding form abroad ahd saved it form cutting down by the French company (HUET Holding). Nowadays the territory of these forests has a problem connected with gold mining and The Government of the Komi Republic is trying to move scopes of the mining farther from this place.
(Nikishina Victoria)
Camel Mountain Camel Mountain is located in the Orenburg region on the left bank of the stream drying up Ashchisu. Is a quartzite cliffs up to 20 meters. Camel is one of the most original natural sculptures and original symbol of Orenburg Zauralye. For a long time the wind blew the soil, and the mountain, composed of solid rock, turned into a twenty-meter block of quartz, reminding lying camel. On the mountain grows a lot of valuable and rare medicinal plants. On the mountain legends, one of them says that once the camel wanted to compete with the power Ural Mountains, ready to fight, then froze forever. Another legend tells of how in ancient times took these places caravan. People looking for fertile land to settle on them. There was no water and killing all the camels. There is only one exhausted camel, which continued for many days to go before him when he finally on the horizon flashed silver ribbon of the river. Camel lay down to rest and fossils.
(Vladimirova Nina)
Aurora An aurora is a natural light display in the sky (from the Latin word aurora, "sunrise" or the Roman goddess of dawn), predominantly seen in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions.[nb 1] Aurorae are caused by cosmic rays, solar wind and magnetospheric plasma interacting with the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere). Their charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, enter the atmosphere from above causing ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents, and consequent light emissions. Incident protons can also produce emissions as hydrogen atoms after gaining an electron from the atmosphere. (Alyona Kosova)
Galich'ya Gora
"Galich'ya Gora" national Park in the Central North-don relict of the Botanical area. The monument, Botanical phenomenon. Located on the Central Russian upland in the Lipetsk region. Major regional research center. Has six sections-clusters, representing the most valuable natural sites of the upper don. One of the smallest reserves in the world. Is administered by the Voronezh state University of the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation. The main object of protection in the reserve — a unique flora characteristic of the forest-steppe community and grouping Petrovichev on the outcrops of Devonian limestone. The reserve is known for its extremely rich flora and unique fauna. Rocks, lipniacki, grass and sedge steppe, upland birch and oak forests, included in the reserve, variegated form plant communities and are the standards for the nature of this area of Central Russia.
Golden Mountains of Altai
The nature of Altai, territory located at the crossroads of Central Asia and Siberia, is a bright originality. In the world there are few places with such contrasting different landscapes in a relatively small area, in many ways unique flora and fauna of the region.
A true gem of Altai - Teletskoe lake. For clean water, majestic mountain setting and abundant wildlife it is called the Little Lake Baikal. In the basin of Lake Teletskoye preserved Altai cedar forests that provide food and shelter to numerous wildlife species.
Here, the most significant area in the mountains of Siberia, subalpine and alpine meadows. Unique flavor and vegetation of Southern Altai, where neighbors semi-deserts, steppes and tundra.
The diversity of landscapes and contributed to the preservation of the Altai endemic, often occupying a very small area ranges. It is home to about 60 species of mammals, 11 species of amphibians and reptiles, 20 species of fish. Among the rare species of mammals should be allocated leopard or snow leopard - is one of the most beautiful cats of the world fauna.
Unique geological history of the region, "recorded" in uneven rocks and captured in unusual forms of relief. Such, for example, the magnificent terraces of the Katun.
Grandiose Mount Belukha - highest peak of Siberia (4506 meters). Topped by glaciers and snowfields, it almost 1000 meters dominates the surrounding ridges.
The river valleys of the Altai, in the first place and Katun Chulyshman, are narrow deep canyons.
Extremely picturesque valley Chulyshman decorated waterfalls flowing into her tributaries.
Diversity of nature has left its mark on the culture and religion of the indigenous population of the territory - Altai. Gorny Altai is called an open air museum.
(Morina Anastasia)
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is a rift lake in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between the Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast. Lake Baikal is the largest (by volume) freshwater lake in the world. It contains more water than that of all the Great Lakes combined. More than that it is the deepest and cleanest lake in the world. The width of the lake ranges from 24 to 79 km. Bottom of Lake Baikal at 1167 meters below sea level. And the area of water surface Lake Baikal - 31,722 km². The mean temperature varies from a winter minimum of −19 °C to a summer maximum of 14 °C. It is a very beautiful place!
(Soloveva Lera)
Lake Onega
Lake Onega is situated in the north-west European part of Russia in the Republic of Karelia. It is a very huge fresh-water reservoir. It falls into the basin of the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Onega has a surface area of 9690 km² and a volume of 282 km³ . Its length is about 245 km and width about 91 km. Average depth is 30 m, and maximum depth is 127 m. It is the second largest lake in Europe. The lake is navigable, is part of the water highway. Fishery here is very developed. There are many kinds of fish like salmon, bream, perch etc. Lake Onega is a gorgeous and majestic tourist destination. Many tourist from different countries come here to have a calm holiday.
(Nikadonova Sophia)
The Curonian spit
It’s a narrow stripe of land, which separates the Curonian lagoon from the Baltic sea coast and stretches from Kaliningrad to Lithuania.
Beautiful sand dunes and wide beaches of the Curonian spit is one of the biggest attractions of this place.
There is a national park «The Curonian spit» in Russia. More than 600 species of vegetation and 296 species of vertebrates form flora and fauna. The Curonian spit is also called «bird’s bridge» because it passes an ancient migration route for birds from Northern to Southern Europe and Africa.
There is also the museum of the Curonian spit and the museum of Russian superstitions, which is dedicated to Russian folklore: the spirits of Slavs, characters of fairy tales and other.
The Curonian spit is amazing place, which attracts a lot of people. It inspires painters for creating beautiful pictures!
(Mukhina Valeriya)
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in the Caucasus, and the highest peak in Europe. It is located several miles north of the main crest of the Central Caucasus, in the Russian Republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, north of Georgia. Its origin is volcanic, and though it has long been extinct, it still retains its gently sloping, conical shape, with twin cones rising on its summit. The west summit at 5,642 meters (18,510 ft) is slightly higher than the east at 5,621 metres (18,442 ft).
The summit is capped in ice year round, and 22 glaciers sprawl from its slopes. All told, the mountain and its vast glaciers cover 56 square miles. The summit provides spectacular views of the entire Caucasus.
It is the most beautiful and majestic mountain, observable from the distance more than 300 km!
(Kapitsyna Sonya)
The Valley of GeysersThe Valley of Geysers is a geyser field on Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, and has the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. This 6 km long basin with approximately ninety geysers and many hot springs is situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, predominantly on the left bank of the ever-deepening Geysernaya River, into which geothermal waters flow from a relatively youngstratovolcano, Kikhpinych. Temperatures have been found to be 250 °C, 500 m below the caldera ground. It is part of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, which, in turn, is incorporated into the World Heritage Site "Volcanoes of Kamchatka". The valley is difficult to reach, with helicopters providing the only feasible means of transport.
The "pulsating" geysers of Kamchatka were discovered by a local scientist, Tatyana Ustinova, in 1941.She published her findings fourteen years later, but there was little exploration of the area until 1972. A systematic survey was undertaken in the mid-1970s, and an automatic monitoring system was introduced in 1990. Over thirty geysers were given names; among these was the Giant geyser (Velikan), capable of producing a jet of water reaching up to 40 meters . From the 1980s, the area was promoted across the USSR as one of the tourist magnets of Kamchatka and the Russian Far East. Foreign tourists were allowed into the valley in 1991. About 3,000 tourists visited the site annually.
(Ovchinnikova Kate)
The Kungur Ice Cave
The Kungur Ice Cave is located near Kungur city in Perm Krai on the right bank of the Sylva River. The cave is famous for its ice formations and is a popular tourist landmark. It’s a very abeautiful, amazing and unforgettable place. The Kungur Ice Cave is known since 1703 when Peter the Great issued the decree sending a well-known geographer S.U. Remezov from Tobolsk in Kungur. A lot of tourists most of them from Russia came to have a look at this unique creation of nature every year. The total number of tourists has already exceeded couple of millions. The appearance and the diversity of crystal forms of gypsum alluvium in the Cave are no less striking: bluish gray gypsum and anhydrite.
(Rodionova Liza)
Lena Pillars
Lena Pillars (Lenskiye Stolby) is the name given to a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia, the central part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The pillars are 150–300 metres (490–980 ft) high. The Lena Pillars National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012.
They were produced by the region’s extreme continental climate with an annual temperature range of almost 100 degrees Celsius (from –60 °C in winter to +40 °C in summer). The pillars form rocky buttresses isolated from each other by deep and steep gullies developed by frost shattering directed along intervening joints. Penetration of water from the surface has facilitated cryogenic processes (freeze-thaw action), which have widened gullies between pillars leading to their isolation. Fluvial processes are also critical to the pillars. The site also contains a wealth of Cambrian fossil remains of numerous species, some of them unique.
This place is really interesting for tourists from different countries and cities. It is so unusual and breathtaking landmark!
(Semyanischeva Victoria)The Volga River
The Volga river is widely known as a national symbol of Russia and is also called as the ‘Mother-river’. It is the largest river in Europe. It flows through central Russia and into the Caspian Sea, Eleven of the twenty largest cities of Russia, including the capital, Moscow, are in the Volga's watershed
The ancient Slavs first mentioned the Volga in the Primary Chronicle—the oldest historical compilation that has survived to the present day.
The Volga has played an important role in Russian culture, folklore and economy. Besides, Some of the largest useful reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga.
The Volga is also referred to directly in literary works and symbolized huge open spaces of the country, the freedom and will and its people.
The river is a popular tourist destination, especially in summer months. A lot of people dream about visiting the Volgar to see some of beautiful Russian historical places, located on the banks of the river.
(Semchat Yulia)
Virgin Komi Forests
Virgin Komi Forests are the natural UNESKO World Heritage site in the Nothern Ural mountains of the Komi Republic, Russia. They have the square about 32,800 km² - the largest virgin forests in Europe.
The Virgin Komi Forests beling to the Ural Mountain taiga ecoregion. Dominant tree species include Siberian Spruce, Siberian Fur and Siberian Larch, while the most prominent mammals are the reindeer, the sable, the mink and the hare.
World Heritage site of Komi Forests was appropriated in 1995, making them the first natural wirld Heritage site in the country. This status brought to the site additional funding form abroad ahd saved it form cutting down by the French company (HUET Holding).
Nowadays the territory of these forests has a problem connected with gold mining and The Government of the Komi Republic is trying to move scopes of the mining farther from this place.
(Nikishina Victoria)
Camel Mountain
Camel Mountain is located in the Orenburg region on the left bank of the stream drying up Ashchisu. Is a quartzite cliffs up to 20 meters. Camel is one of the most original natural sculptures and original symbol of Orenburg Zauralye.
For a long time the wind blew the soil, and the mountain, composed of solid rock, turned into a twenty-meter block of quartz, reminding lying camel. On the mountain grows a lot of valuable and rare medicinal plants.
On the mountain legends, one of them says that once the camel wanted to compete with the power Ural Mountains, ready to fight, then froze forever. Another legend tells of how in ancient times took these places caravan.
People looking for fertile land to settle on them. There was no water and killing all the camels. There is only one exhausted camel, which continued for many days to go before him when he finally on the horizon flashed silver ribbon of the river. Camel lay down to rest and fossils.
(Vladimirova Nina)
Aurora
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky (from the Latin word aurora, "sunrise" or the Roman goddess of dawn), predominantly seen in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions.[nb 1] Aurorae are caused by cosmic rays, solar wind and magnetospheric plasma interacting with the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere). Their charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, enter the atmosphere from above causing ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents, and consequent light emissions. Incident protons can also produce emissions as hydrogen atoms after gaining an electron from the atmosphere.
(Alyona Kosova)
Galich'ya Gora
"Galich'ya Gora" national Park in the Central North-don relict of the Botanical area. The monument, Botanical phenomenon. Located on the Central Russian upland in the Lipetsk region. Major regional research center. Has six sections-clusters, representing the most valuable natural sites of the upper don.
One of the smallest reserves in the world. Is administered by the Voronezh state University of the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation.
The main object of protection in the reserve — a unique flora characteristic of the forest-steppe community and grouping Petrovichev on the outcrops of Devonian limestone.
The reserve is known for its extremely rich flora and unique fauna. Rocks, lipniacki, grass and sedge steppe, upland birch and oak forests, included in the reserve, variegated form plant communities and are the standards for the nature of this area of Central Russia.